


In the Spotlight

by yikeslikenikes



Category: Monsta X (Band)
Genre: Alcohol, Alternate Universe - Bakery, Bad Parents, Bakery Shop Owner Minhyuk, Baking, Baking Assisstant Changkyun, Childhood Friends, Drunken Confessions, Food, Happy Ending, Lee Minhyuk-centric, M/M, Mutual Pining, Pining Idiots, Polyamory, Pre-Relationship, Roommates, Time Skips, baker Kihyun
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-01
Updated: 2019-12-01
Packaged: 2021-02-26 00:46:58
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 9,525
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21634621
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/yikeslikenikes/pseuds/yikeslikenikes
Summary: There was a reason Minhyuk's bakery was doing so well.
Relationships: Lee Minhyuk/Lim Changkyun | I.M/Yoo Kihyun
Comments: 11
Kudos: 138





	In the Spotlight

**Author's Note:**

  * For [kihyuks](https://archiveofourown.org/users/kihyuks/gifts).



> Wrote this for my friend for their birthday, and now I'm finally posting it. Please enjoy these three boys falling in love and being silly about it.

There was a reason that Minhyuk's bakery was doing well. 

With a glance over the small seating area done up in greens and browns, anyone could feel at home, but Minhyuk would never attribute the success to that. 

Whenever a customer would walk in, they'd be greeted by Minhyuk himself, smiling bright enough to blot out the sun. But Minhyuk would only say it was him as a joke. 

If you asked Minhyuk, his bakery was successful for one reason and one reason only: Yoo Kihyun.

Kihyun had graduated early and left their high school to intern in patisseries in Paris when he was sixteen years old. Before he had left, Minhyuk wrapped their pinkies together and swore that he'd open a bakery for Kihyun to come back to. Obviously, Minhyuk had kept that promise, focusing his studies on running a business. 

When Kihyun had come back to Korea, fluent in French and French pastries, he hadn't expected Minhyuk to actually open a bakery just for him, but there it was in all its glory. 

The Spotlight Bakery was great because Minhyuk let Kihyun do what he wanted. Gave him a grand kitchen, ordered whatever ingredients he requested, and let him work. Watched as Kihyun would drizzle chocolate over plates and fold love into each layer of a croissant and smile as he created art out of flour and water and eggs. 

They had expected to break even for sure, make enough to get by at the very least, but they hadn't expected it to become as popular as it had. Only the two of them worked there, Kihyun in the kitchen from early in the morning until late at night, and Minhyuk in the front just as early to greet the first customers of the day, coming in groggy for a croissant and a cup of coffee. 

When it got busy, they still managed, but barely, and eventually Kihyun admitted that he needed help in the kitchen at the very least.

One hastily written up sign asking for a baking assistant later (although Kihyun had tried to convince Minhyuk to change it to say apprentice, but Minhyuk refused on the principle that Kihyun is too busy to actually be teaching) brought a skinny boy covered in the rain inside. 

They were technically closed that day because it was a Sunday, but Minhyuk and Kihyun were there to receive any possible applicants, and while a few had come in, Kihyun quickly dismissed them as not having enough passion for the cakes to be in the kitchen. 

Minhyuk guessed he was the expert. 

They were about to give up hope when he came in, holding up their rained on sign in wet leisure clothes. 

“I'll work for less than this if you provide me meals,” was all he said. 

Minhyuk raised a brow before turning to look at Kihyun, ready for him to dismiss someone else. 

But Kihyun just stood up and pulled out the third chair at the table they were sitting at and pointed at it. The guy bowed before he walked over, dripping all over Minhyuk’s floor, and sitting down. 

“I’ll do whatever you guys need. I'll be here at first light, I'll clean, I'll help bake or greet customers, I even have a bike for deliveries,” he said. 

“Let’s start with your name,” Minhyuk said. 

Changkyun shut his eyes, chastising himself for being ridiculous, before he looked back up. 

“Im Changkyun. I'm twenty years old.”

Minhyuk nodded, glanced back over at Kihyun who was just staring at Changkyun carefully. Minhyuk cleared his throat. 

“We’d still pay you the amount on the sign while providing meals. Me and Kihyun eat here all the time,” Minhyuk said. 

Changkyun’s eyes widened and seemed to shine. “Really?”

Minhyuk frowned, not because of him, but because of what he must be going through to make him so excited to be fed and still get paid. 

“But it's ultimately up to Kihyun if he wants to take you on,” Minhyuk said, glancing back over to the baker that hasn't said a word the entire time. Changkyun blinked over at Kihyun and looked at him with the same big eyes. He was still dripping onto his chair and the table in front of him. Minhyuk grabbed a few napkins before holding them out to Changkyun. 

“At least dry off your hair and face,” he said. 

Changkyun bowed his head a bit as he took it and started wiping at himself. “Thank you.” 

“No problem,” Minhyuk said. He gave a very pointed look at Kihyun then, which Kihyun ignored, sharp eyes still watching Changkyun. 

“Can you come back to the kitchen for a second?” Kihyun asked. 

Changkyun froze before he nodded. “Yes! Of course!”

Minhyuk watched dumb-struck as Kihyun smiled and stood up, leading Changkyun back toward the kitchen. 

Kihyun had never invited anyone past the main entrance, let alone into the actual kitchen. He walked after them, trying not to slip on the water Changkyun was still dripping. 

“What do you know about cakes?” Kihyun asked. 

“Oh, not much at all. B-but I'm a fast learner! I'm like a sponge.”

“Graduate from high school?”

Changkyun smiled small. “Top of my class.”

Kihyun smiled and rolled up his sleeves. “Good. What about university?”

That made Changkyun’s smile dim. 

“Oh. Um. I went.”

“Went?” Minhyuk asked. 

Changkyun cleared his throat and stared at the ground. “I dropped out. It wasn't for me.”

“I didn't go to university. Just studied cakes and pastry in Paris,” Kihyun said. He opened up the fridge and started pulling out samples of cakes. Minhyuk frowned.  _ When did he have time to make those? _

Kihyun put the samples neatly in a grid in front of Changkyun, and Changkyun stared at the cakes like a starving wolf. Eyes wide, and lips smacking, but he didn't move. 

“Here. Try this one and tell me what it tastes like,” Kihyun said, pushing a pink round little cake with red drizzles toward him. 

He didn't have to ask Changkyun twice before he snatched it up in his hand and bit into it. 

Minhyuk found himself frowning again. He must've been starving. 

A few chews, and then Changkyun closed his eyes, moaning before he swallowed. 

“Oh my God,” he said softly before taking another, bigger bite. 

Kihyun leaned over the counter, smiling face held in his hand. “Taste good?”

“It’s amazing,” Changkyun said through his full mouth before he swallowed and shoved the rest into his mouth. 

“You still need to tell me what it tastes like,” Kihyun said. 

Changkyun licked his lips, staring sadly at his now empty hand. 

“Strawberries? And a bit of mint but not a lot. The red stuff was raspberry, though?” Changkyun smacked his lips together some more. “And maybe lemon? Or lemon zest? Something lemony.”

Minhyuk’s eyes widened as he glanced back over at Kihyun, wondering if he had guessed correctly, but Kihyun was still staring at Changkyun. 

“That’s good, but now I want you to tell me what it tastes like,” Kihyun said. 

“What are you talking about?” Minhyuk asked. Kihyun frowned at him, ready to argue, but then Changkyun spoke.

“It's like a picnic on a good summer day. One with a breeze when you're under shade,” Changkyun said. He licked bits of cream off his fingers, not even paying attention to either of them. 

“What?” Minhyuk asked, brows furrowing, but Kihyun just shoved another cake in front of Changkyun. 

“Eat as much as you want.”

“Really?” 

“Yeah. Go ahead while me and Minhyuk talk,” Kihyun said. 

Changkyun waited until they were out of the kitchen before starting to devour every piece of cake in front him. Minhyuk watched through the window, still frowning. 

“We’re hiring him,” Kihyun said. 

Minhyuk looked back over at him. “Okay.”

“And you’re going to give him one of the spare rooms upstairs to sleep in,” Kihyun said. 

Minhyuk paused at that. “Excuse me?”

“That kid hasn't had a good meal in days at the very least. You think he has a nice loving home?” Kihyun whispered. 

Minhyuk looked back through the window at him. How he was shoveling the food in his mouth like he was worried someone would take it away and not let him have more. He looked over his clothes to see how ratty they looked, holes on his shirt and pants. 

“Fine. I guess the three of us will just bunk together in the apartment upstairs. Why not?” Minhyuk said. 

“Thank you!” Kihyun said before planting a kiss on Minhyuk's cheek and walking past him back into the kitchen. 

Minhyuk sighed and rubbed at his cheek out of the habit of pretending to be grossed out by Kihyun's affection, but he smiled as he watched Kihyun tell Changkyun that he could start tomorrow. 

He could hear Kihyun ask if Changkyun was still hungry, and he watched Kihyun pull out a few more slices of cake even though Changkyun tried to say he wasn't. 

Changkyun adapted well both to his new home and his new job. He woke up even earlier than Kihyun sometimes, excited to help and learn whatever he could. Kihyun felt less stressed, and the food was better for it. 

And when Kihyun was less stressed, Minhyuk was less stressed. He got to see Kihyun smile more and frown less, and he would never admit it, but that's all he really wanted. To see Kihyun happy. 

After all, isn't that all you wish for when you're in love with someone?

Minhyuk doesn't know when exactly he fell in love with Kihyun, but it had been a long time. Kihyun was his first love, and Minhyuk knew it before Kihyun left for Paris, and that's why he had promised him his own bakery. It was also why the night before Kihyun left, he had cried all his emotions out into his pillow, so he could smile and joke around at the airport the next day when he said goodbye. 

Not that Kihyun knew. Or would probably ever know. He was practically married to baking and his craft, and Minhyuk would never try to get in the way of that or distract him.

And maybe that's why, resigned to never being with the man he loved, Minhyuk developed a tiny crush on Changkyun. 

“Good morning, boss!” Changkyun called as he knocked on Minhyuk's door.

Minhyuk opened an eye and groaned before he picked up his phone to check the time.

“Changkyun, it’s four thirty in the morning,” Minhyuk groaned before he dropped his phone back on the bed next to him. 

“I made rice and sausages for breakfast,” Changkyun said. His voice was cheery even though it was low and muffled through the door. Minhyuk took a deep breath before he sat up and rubbed at his eyes. 

“Fine, I'm up, I'm up,” Minhyuk said. 

“Alright. Kihyun is already up,” Changkyun said, and then Minhyuk heard his footsteps padding away. 

“Of course he is,” Minhyuk grumbled as he forced himself up and out of bed to the bathroom. 

Kihyun was already dressed in his baking outfit, sans apron, and brushing his teeth. He spat out his mouthful of toothpaste before rinsing his mouth out. 

“I’m almost done,” Kihyun said. 

“Got it,” Minhyuk said. He leaned against the wall. “The baby really is too much of a morning person for my liking.”

Kihyun chuckled as he washed his face. 

“He's just eager to learn, Minhyuk,” he said. 

“He wakes me up half an hour earlier than you did.”

“Ah, but he has breakfast ready, doesn't he?”

Minhyuk smiled and laughed a bit. “I guess you have a point.”

“You get a half hour more than I do, though,” Kihyun said as he patted his face dry. 

“Baking is a hard life,” Minhyuk said. 

Kihyun laughed again, and Minhyuk grinned. 

“All yours,  _ boss _ ,” Kihyun said. He tossed Minhyuk a towel on his way out of the bathroom, and Minhyuk didn’t have time to say anything about being called boss before the door shut behind him. 

Minhyuk sighed and rubbed at his face before going through the motions of showering and getting ready for the day. 

Twenty minutes later, he was out in the kitchen, scooping rice out of the maker into the bowl. 

“What are we making for the chef’s special today?” Changkyun asked from his seat at the kitchen table. 

“Hm. Are you leaning toward chocolate or fruit?” Kihyun asked. 

Minhyuk picks up the last three sausages and lays them across his rice bowl before heading to the table and sitting down. 

“Chocolate, I think,” Changkyun answered. 

“Do we have coffee syrup?” Kihyun asked Minhyuk. 

“We sure do,” Minhyuk said because if there's one thing he could say about his bakery, it would be that he kept it very well-stocked. 

“ _ Opéra gâteau _ it is, then,” Kihyun decided. 

“Ooh, sounds great,” Changkyun said. He had stars in his eyes as he looked at Kihyun. Like he truly thought he was so lucky to be experiencing genius in real life. Minhyuk scoffed. 

“Don't be so impressed, kid, all he said was Opera cake,” Minhyuk said. 

Kihyun let out a little laugh. “And how do you know that?”

“You gave me that crash course, so I could sell your cakes, remember?  _ Gâteau  _ means cake. Opera is opera.”

Kihyun smiled. “Oh, you actually paid attention?”

“Of course, I did. It's my business,” Minhyuk said before shoveling some rice into his mouth.

“You take great care of your business, boss,” Changkyun said. 

Minhyuk looked up at him, and Changkyun was smiling, and maybe Minhyuk's heart melted the tiniest bit, but he just looked back down at his food. 

“While you finish that up, we’ll go get started,” Kihyun said. 

“Alright. Bake good,” Minhyuk said. 

“It’s bake  _ well _ , boss,” Changkyun said as he got up. 

“What was that, kid?” Minhyuk asked. 

“Nothing!” Changkyun laughed as he made his way out to the door. 

Kihyun laughed a bit and took one last bite out of one of Minhyuk's sausages, making Minhyuk wave him off in annoyance, before he followed after Changkyun. 

Minhyuk sighed and focused on finishing his food, wishing that they were still there to joke around as he ate. 

Changkyun and Kihyun liked each other. Not just as friends. Minhyuk didn't know when it started, or who started it, or if they even knew, but he knew exactly when he realized it. 

They were closing shop on a Saturday, so it was earlier, and they all had the day off the next day. There was that happy sense of freedom that comes before a day off. 

Minhyuk was finishing up sweeping the dining room when he glanced back at the window to the kitchen.

Changkyun was eating some leftover chocolate cake, and Kihyun was talking to him, and they were both smiling and laughing a bit. 

Minhyuk didn't pay it any mind because that was usually how that went. Changkyun got hired because Kihyun knew they would get along, after all. And they could spend hours talking about just baking and cakes and pastries and what things tasted like, and Minhyuk, while he loved almost everything Kihyun made, would never understand it. 

It wasn't strange at all to see them chatting away in the kitchen at day's end. 

What was strange was when Changkyun took chocolate frosting on his pointer finger and smeared it across Kihyun's cheek with a mischievous grin. 

It only got stranger when Kihyun just laughed and did the same thing back. 

Soon the kitchen was a mess of chocolate cake and frosting as they both tried to be the last one to get the other, and Minhyuk knew. 

Kihyun never let anyone make a mess of his kitchen. 

One time, a deliveryman went all the way back to the kitchen himself and dropped a bag of flour so hard that it exploded, covering a good chunk of the kitchen in white powder. Kihyun had turned bright red as Minhyuk tried to get the man out as quickly as possible. Kihyun had complained the whole day about how a kitchen should only be messy in the middle of a step, and how he spends half the day baking and the other half cleaning, and how if he had dropped a bag of flour in a kitchen in Paris he'd be done for. 

Kihyun, who didn't tolerate a stray sock left in the living room or an unwashed mixing bowl in the sink, was letting Changkyun turn his kitchen into a giant chocolatey mess, and he was  _ laughing _ about it. He was playing along. 

Minhyuk had felt his heart chip around the edges, but it couldn't break. Not when Kihyun and Changkyun both looked so happy. 

And after all, isn't that what Minhyuk had always wanted? To be able to see Kihyun be happy?

Minhyuk did, however, finish up his cleaning and immediately head up to lock himself in his room. When Changkyun and Kihyun came calling a while later, Minhyuk said he was feeling a bit sick. 

He felt even sicker a while after that when Changkyun and Kihyun told him they made him soup to make him feel better. 

But after his one day of letting himself be sad, he was fine. If Changkyun and Kihyun liked each other, it was only his business because they were all so close, and who was he to stand in the way of their happiness?

So Minhyuk waited and waited for them to get together, but the day never came. Kihyun still obnoxiously kissed Minhyuk on the cheek whenever he wanted to thank him for something he didn't need to be thanked for, and Changkyun still called him boss with that little half-smirk that Minhyuk swore was going to drive him insane one day, and they kept going as if it wasn't obvious they had feelings for each other. 

“And what's the special today?” Minhyuk asked. It was fifteen minutes before the bakery opened for the day, and there were a few people loitering outside waiting patiently for Minhyuk to unlock the door. 

Changkyun smiled as he put what looked like a mix between a muffin and a croissant in front of him. Kihyun’s smile was very proud as he stared at the pastry in front of Minhyuk. 

“Kouign-Amann. It's like a croissant but sweeter,” Changkyun said. 

Minhyuk picked it up and bit into it. It instantly flaked apart in his mouth, and Minhyuk nodded in approval as he kept eating. 

“Changkyun made it all by himself,” Kihyun said. 

Minhyuk’s eyes widened, and Changkyun smiled a bit before he looked away.

“Well, it's really good. Amazing job,” Minhyuk said. 

Changkyun smiled brighter. “I'm glad you like it.”

“You're turning out to be a real baker, huh?” Minhyuk said. 

Changkyun beamed, cheeks flushing just a bit before he glanced out the window. 

“You should go open the store, boss,” Changkyun said. 

Minhyuk licked his fingers before going to wash his hands. 

“I have a few more minutes,” Minhyuk said.

A bell went off, and then Kihyun was springing into action, putting on his gloves to pull something out of the industrial ovens before moving it to the cooling rack.

“At least get out of my kitchen when you finish,” Kihyun called. 

“Technically, it's  _ my  _ kitchen,” Minhyuk said.

“Ah, but you gave it to me, remember?” Kihyun said. He bumped his hip against Minhyuk as he walked by to set another timer, and Minhyuk chuckled to himself as he dried off his hands. 

“Alright, I know when I'm not wanted, just bake good,” Minhyuk said as he headed towards the door. 

“Bake well,” Changkyun called after him, and Minhyuk couldn't help but smile as he walked over to unlock the front doors and greet their first customers of the day. 

Changkyun's first solo special was a hit, selling out an hour into opening because Changkyun couldn't get them made fast enough. 

Usually Tuesdays aren't that busy for them, but that Tuesday, they had to close shop early because they sold every cake, cookie, and croissant that Kihyun and Changkyun planned on making.

It felt like magic, but Minhyuk was happier about the overflowing tip jar next to the register. As Kihyun and Changkyun got to work cleaning up the kitchen, he locked up the dining area, and stood at the register, counting out the tips before dividing it in half. 

It wasn't a crazy amount, but they had never made ₩150,000 in just tips before. He splits it evenly before heading back into the kitchen. 

“I got your tips!” Minhyuk said. Changkyun turned around from wiping down the counter, and he had some flour on his face. Minhyuk laughed a bit and walked over, wiping at his face with his thumb. 

“Here,” Minhyuk said, holding out one of the stacks of cash. Changkyun smiled a bit and took it from him. 

“Thanks.”

“No problem. Ki, these are yours,” Minhyuk said, walking over to where he's wiping down one of the cooling racks. 

“Stick them in my apron,” Kihyun said. Minhyuk rolled his eyes but walked over and put the bills in his apron pocket anyway. 

“Can't stop cleaning for one second?” Minhyuk asked. 

“You know how he gets focused,” Changkyun said. 

“Forgive me for wanting a spotless kitchen,” Kihyun said, still wiping down the cooling rack. 

“Well, next time the two of you decide to make those coin pastries--”

“Kouign-Amann,” Changkyun corrected. 

“Those. Make double however many you guys made today,” Minhyuk said.

“Will do, boss,” Changkyun said. 

“Also, dinner’s on me, so what do you guys want,” Minhyuk says. 

“I don't want to go anywhere. Just order the fried chicken that Kihyun likes,” Changkyun said. 

“I approve of that,” Kihyun said.

Minhyuk laughed a bit. “Fried chicken it is. Do you guys need any help?”

“Nah, we’re almost done. Thank you, though,” Kihyun said. And then he leaned over and smooched against Minhyuk's cheek. 

True to form, Minhyuk reached up to wipe at his cheek and make a face at Kihyun, but then he noticed how blank Kihyun's face had gone. Minhyuk frowned at him. 

“What?” Minhyuk asked. 

Kihyun blinked, then he glanced over at Changkyun, then back at Minhyuk and shook his head. “Sorry. Nothing.”

Minhyuk frowned and looked over at Changkyun, but he was busying himself wiping down the counters again. 

“Um, alright. I’ll head up and order the food then,” Minhyuk said.

He knew he had sensed something change, but he couldn't figure out what. 

When they came up later, Changkyun made a beeline for the shower without saying anything to them, and Minhyuk frowned. 

“What's wrong with the baby?” He asked Kihyun softly.

Kihyun grimaced and sighed. “I think it's better if you ask him and not me.”

Minhyuk’s frown deepened. The chicken came, and he and Kihyun set up the table and waited for Changkyun to come back out. 

He didn't take very long, coming out with his hair still wet and in his pajamas. He sank into his chair and sighed. 

“It looks great,” Changkyun said. 

“Yeah. You okay?” Minhyuk asked because he was never one to beat around the bush. Well, at least not when someone he cared about was upset. 

Changkyun looked up at him and bit his lip. “Nothing. I just got the after work blues, I guess. This chicken will make it all better though,” he said. 

Minhyuk raised a brow and looked over at Kihyun, who was frowning down at his plate. 

“If you say so,” Minhyuk said.

“Yeah. Thank you for asking, though,” Changkyun said. 

“Of course,” Minhyuk said. 

The rest of the evening was pretty normal. They ate and started joking around again, having a good time. Everything seemed fine, but it still gnawed at the back of Minhyuk's mind that something had bothered Changkyun, and he had told Kihyun, but not him. 

Minhyuk had had a lot of bad days in his life, but none that terrible in the grand scheme of things. The worst day in recent memory was when he realized Changkyun and Kihyun had feelings for each other, but that was neither here nor there. 

It was nothing compared to the day he knew Changkyun was having. 

He had come out with a tray of cookies for the front display and had managed to set them up prettily for the customers when he had looked up and his face fell. Minhyuk frowned. 

“What?” he asked. 

“Changkyun?” 

Minhyuk blinked over to see an older couple, staring at Changkyun, a mix of emotions on their face. Changkyun and the couple were frozen in time for a moment, all of them staring at each other. 

It clicked in Minhyuk's mind then. They were Changkyun’s parents. The parents who had let their son wind up at their doorstep, hungry and tattered and soaked through with nothing but his bicycle and a handful of clothes. The parents that they had never asked about. The parents that Changkyun never mentioned. 

His father took a step forward, and that seemed to break whatever trance they were all in. Changkyun wheeled back and practically ran back to the kitchen, leaving Minhyuk to stare after him, lost. 

“Excuse me, does he work here?” 

Minhyuk blinked over at them and bowed his head like he's supposed to. 

“Yes, that was one of my employees,” Minhyuk said. 

Changkyun's father raised a brow. “ _ Your  _ employee?”

Minhyuk made himself grin. “Yes, sir. This is my bakery.” He glanced over the people standing in front of him and noticed a few things. 

The first was that everything they were wearing was a designer brand and new. The second was how they both stared down their noses at Minhyuk, a slight grimace pretending to be a smile on their faces. The third was how they kept glancing at the kitchen like their gaze alone could will Changkyun out. 

“He’s our son, you see,” Mrs. Im said.

“Sure. Now, what can I do for you today? May I interest you in a croissant? Or a cookie? Or are you here to order a cake?” Minhyuk said. 

“We would like to speak to our son,” Mr. Im said. 

Minhyuk licked his lips. His smile was getting more and more strained by the second. 

“I’ll go ask him--”

“You’ll  _ tell him _ that his parents are waiting for him in the dining room,” Mrs. Im said. 

Minhyuk twitched but didn't respond. He turned on his heel and walked calmly toward the kitchen and entered. 

Changkyun was sitting on the ground next to the door, staring up at him with big eyes. 

“Min, if someone is disturbing my assistant, they're disturbing my kitchen, and I want them gone,” Kihyun said. 

“Trust me, I do, too, just give me a second,” Minhyuk said. 

He squatted down in front of Changkyun and smiled at him.

“Hey, kid,” Minhyuk said. 

“I don't want to go out there,” Changkyun whispered.

Minhyuk nodded. “No one is going to make you do anything.”

Changkyun’s hands were shaking as he clasped them together. His eyes were still big. 

“They're waiting for me though, aren't they? They sent you back here to get me,” Changkyun said. 

Minhyuk reached out and squeezed Changkyun's hands in his. “I am back here to check on you. I don't care what they want.”

Changkyun looked at him for a second and nodded. 

“They did ask me to tell you that they are waiting. You want me to kick them out?” Minhyuk asked. 

“Yes. Please,” Changkyun whispered. 

“Will do. Now, go wash your hands. They were on the floor,” Minhyuk said. He reached up and patted the top of Changkyun's head before he straightened up. 

“You need back up?” Kihyun asked. 

“No, I think I got it,” Minhyuk said as he straightened out his clothes and glanced out the mirror. Changkyun's parents were still standing in the middle of his shop, tapping their feet and looking annoyed. 

Minhyuk plastered on his best customer service smile and walked out of the kitchen. 

“Where is he?” Mr. Im asked as soon as he walked up. 

The smile didn't falter.

“Are you planning on buying any pastries, sir?” Minhyuk asked. 

Mrs. Im scoffed. “We told you, we want to see our son.”

“If you're not going to buy something, I’ll have to ask you to leave. I don't let people loiter in my store,” Minhyuk said as brightly as he could. He was careful with his formality, being as polite as humanly possible. 

They glared at him for a moment, and Minhyuk was sure that they'd snap, but they didn't. 

“We’ll have one of those cookies, then,” Mrs. Im said. 

Minhyuk nodded a bit. “I’ll sell it to you if you leave right after.”

“Excuse me?”

“My head chef is very particular about the atmosphere of his kitchen, and he thinks you have made the atmosphere a bit...sour.”

“Changkyun is your head chef?” His father asks. 

“No, but he's something of a sous chef. Either way, we'd like for you to leave quickly.”

They blinked at him, and again Minhyuk braced himself for an onslaught of angry yelling, but it didn't come. They looked over to the display case. 

“We’ll take one of those,” his father grumbled out, pointing at the tray of cookies that Changkyun put out. 

Minhyuk smiled. “Certainly.” He walked over to take one and wrapped it as nicely as he could in the parchment paper. He rang them up and was as cheery as possible. 

“Tell Changkyun that if  _ this  _ is his solution, then he’d be better off going back to school,” his mother said. 

Minhyuk didn't let his smile disappear. 

“Have a wonderful day!” He called as they walked out. 

Once they were gone he rubbed at his cheeks and frowned. He looked around, and after realizing it was relatively quiet, he headed back to the kitchen. 

Changkyun was filling some pastries when he glanced up. 

“They’re gone,” Minhyuk said. Changkyun nodded and kept filling up the pastries, licking his lips. 

“Did...did they say anything?” He asked.

Minhyuk shook his head. “Nothing important.”

Changkyun sighed and rolled his neck. 

“I’m sorry about that,” he said. 

“Don't be. I'm heading back out if everything is fine back here?” 

“We’re good back here,” Kihyun said. 

“Changkyun?” Minhyuk asked. 

Changkyun looked up at him and smiled. “No, yeah. I'm fine. Thank you,” Changkyun said. 

Minhyuk nodded. “Alright.”

He headed back out, and the rest of the day went by pretty normally. When they closed up shop, Changkyun came out to the front and pouted at Minhyuk. 

“Hey, is it okay with you if I head up early? Kihyun said he's fine with it,” Changkyun said. 

Minhyuk opened his mouth to answer, but then he was cut short. 

“I mean, I kinda spilled egg whites all over myself, so I just wanna shower, you know?” 

Minhyuk looked at Changkyun’s spotless apron for a second before looking back up at him and smiling.

“That's fine with me. I can clean help clean up the kitchen, so no worries.”

Changkyun smiled a bit, and Minhyuk expected him to walk away as he looked back down at the register.

He didn't expect Changkyun to lean in and kiss his cheek like Kihyun always did. He didn't expect how shy Changkyun looked immediately afterwards. He didn't expect for his heart to instantly start pounding up into his throat as he looked at him. 

“Sorry. I just. Thanks, boss,” Changkyun mumbled before he hurried out the back door. 

He blinked a few times, trying to gather his bearings. 

Changkyun had never done that before. He was used to it from Kihyun, even if it still made his chest a bit warm. But from Changkyun? It was new. It was strange. It made Minhyuk's heart leap. 

“Shit,” Minhyuk sighed as he turned back to the register. He thought he had gotten all those feelings under control. 

He frowned, finished closing out the register, and then made his way back to the kitchen to help Kihyun clean up. 

Kihyun, however, was not cleaning up. 

He was watching as one of the stand mixers worked away at something. 

“What are you doing?” Minhyuk asked. 

Kihyun stepped back from the mixer, a habit formed from never wanting to speak over his food, and looked at him. 

“I'm baking.”

Minhyuk huffed before laughing a bit. “Obviously, Ki.”

Kihyun grinned. “Then why ask?”

“ _ Why  _ are you baking?”

“Well,  _ boss _ \--”

“Please, don't.”

Kihyun snickered a bit and leaned back against the cleaned up island in the middle of the kitchen. 

“I'm making Changkyun his favorite,” Kihyun said. 

Now, Minhyuk knew, of course, that Kihyun was a great listener. Kind and thoughtful and empathetic. He was always there for you if you needed to talk, no matter how small or big the matter was. He also knew that he would never push anyone into that talk, but he always knew when you were on the cusp of needing it. 

So instead of saying that he was there to listen, he'd make your favorite, hoping it would at least put a smile on your face while you dealt with whatever you were going through. 

And that just made Minhyuk’s heart fluttering even worse. 

“And what is Changkyun’s favorite?” Minhyuk asked.

“Oreo cheesecake,” Kihyun answered. Minhyuk frowned. 

“We have never sold an Oreo cheesecake.”

“Yeah, well, one time when we were practicing on a Sunday, he tried making some. He wanted it to taste like one he had in America once, but he said it didn't come out right.”

“How is it his favorite if he had it once?”

Kihyun scoffed at that, walking back up to change the setting on the mixer to check on it before stepping back again. 

“How many times have you read your favorite book?” Kihyun asked. 

Minhyuk grinned. “Touché.”

Kihyun walked over to the pantry and pulled out two boxes of cookies, putting them down on the island. 

“If you're going to be here, be useful for me and put these through the food processor.”

“ _ Oui, chef _ ,” Minhyuk said as he took a box. Kihyun laughed a bit before he turned the mixer off and used the back of a spoon to bring the mixture up to his mouth to taste it. Minhyuk tried not to watch as he started crushing up cookies. 

“How fine do you want this?” Minhyuk asked. 

“It should look chopped.”

“Alright.”

Minhyuk got to work, when he was done, Kihyun unceremoniously took his cookies and dumped them into the mixer. He waited a little longer before taking out the mixing bowl. 

Minhyuk started cleaning then. Kihyun had already pre-heated the oven, and after pouring the mix into a round, popped it easily in. He at least knew how to clean the kitchen at this point, not needing Kihyun to give him instructions. 

“Did he actually spill egg whites on himself?” Minhyuk asked after a while. 

Kihyun sighed from where he was washing dishes before throwing them into the dishwasher to be washed again. 

“He spilled some but not on himself. He seemed distracted all day.”

“Right.”

“I wish I could ban them from the store, but we don't have a real reason.”

Minhyuk laughed a bit. “Overprotective.”

Kihyun sighed and put the mixing bowl into the dishwasher before closing it. 

“I don't know. He's never told us what happened, but all I could see today was that kid that walked in here saying he'd take less pay if we would just feed him,” Kihyun says. 

Minhyuk clicked his tongue. “His parents told me to tell him that he should go back to school if working here was his plan.”

“Are you going to tell him?”

“No. He doesn’t need to hear that, honestly. I'm sure he knows they feel that way.”

Kihyun nodded and walked around the kitchen, double-checking to make sure everything was cleaned up. Minhyuk watched him, tongue pressed into the inside of his cheek as he thought. 

“They were rich, Ki. Or at least looked rich,” Minhyuk said softly. 

Kihyun let out a sigh. “Fuck them, then.”

Minhyuk snorted and poked at Kihyun's side to make him grin a bit before he grabbed Minhyuk's hand to make him stop. 

“Maybe I am overprotective,” Kihyun said softly. He still had his fingers wrapped around Minhyuk’s wrist, but Minhyuk wouldn't dream of tugging away. 

“We both are,” Minhyuk said. 

“Do you really think of him as a kid?” 

Minhyuk shook his head. “Of course not. He's not that much younger than us.”

Kihyun tongued at the corner of his mouth for a second. “He thinks you do.”

Minhyuk rolled his eyes and pulled away. “It’s not my fault he’s adorable.”

Minhyuk shut his eyes. What the hell is wrong with him?

“Oh, adorable, is it?” Kihyun said, and Minhyuk can hear the giant grin on his face. 

“Don't act like you don't think so too,” Minhyuk retorted. 

Kihyun laughed a bit and shoved at Minhyuk. “Maybe. You're the one that said it out loud though.”

“Whatever. How much longer on the cake?”

“A few more minutes in the oven, then I'm putting it in the blast chiller.”

“Great.”

“You really like him, huh?”

Minhyuk looked over at Kihyun, and Kihyun was staring back at him, blank. There were a lot of things that Minhyuk could say, but none of them were the whole truth. He could say yes, but that wasn't everything. It wouldn't even be close. 

So Minhyuk settled with what he thought was a closer truth. 

“You both mean a lot to me.” 

Kihyun’s blank expression lightened into a smile when the timer on the oven dinged. Kihyun went back to being focused on his baking, and Minhyuk could take the time to try to calm the pounding of his heart because that was the closest he had ever gotten to confessing any of his feelings. 

By the time they made it up the stairs, box full of Oreo cheesecake in tow, Changkyun was already changed into his pajamas and eating from the dinner he had cooked for all of them. Kihyun went to put the box in the fridge as Minhyuk sat down at the table next to Changkyun. 

“Hey,” Minhyuk said. 

“Hey. Sorry for--”

“There's nothing to be sorry about,” Minhyuk said as he grabbed one of the bowls of rice that Changkyun had set out. He took a pair of chopsticks and ate some.

“You didn't have to kick them out for me,” Changkyun said softly. 

Minhyuk chewed as he stared at him, and Kihyun sat down next to him, dropping another plate in front of him. 

“Customers are important, sure, but you guys are more important,” Minhyuk said. 

Changkyun smiled and looked down at his food to keep eating. Minhyuk glanced over at Kihyun, and he seemed satisfied as he started serving himself some of the chicken Changkyun had made. 

“We made Oreo cheesecake,” Kihyun said. 

Changkyun’s eyes went wide as he looked up at him. “What? Why?”

Kihyun shrugged. “It looked good when you made it, and I wanted to try. You'll have to tell me if it's any good, though.”

“I'm sure it's amazing like everything you make,” Changkyun said. 

“Hey, I helped too! You wouldn't have Oreos in it if it wasn't for me,” Minhyuk said. 

Changkyun laughed and nodded. “Good job, boss.”

“Thank you.”

After they ate, Kihyun and Minhyuk did the dishes together while Changkyun delighted over how good the Oreo cheesecake was, and Minhyuk was glad to see both Kihyun and Changkyun smiling so much again. 

They only had a few dishes left when Changkyun started talking. 

“I guess you guys are wondering why I freaked out so much.”

Minhyuk froze mid-scrub. 

“You don't have to tell us anything you don't want to,” Kihyun said quickly. 

“Right. I know. But still,” Changkyun said. 

Minhyuk sighed and handed the last plate over to Kihyun to dry. 

“If you don't want to talk to your parents, we understand,” Minhyuk said. 

“They kicked me out when I said I wanted to quit school,” Changkyun said. 

Minhyuk frowned. He had figured as much, but he hadn’t wanted it to be true. He ripped his gloves off and turned around to look at Changkyun. 

He was picking at the last bits of a slice of cake on his plate, staring down at it. He looked so sad that it tore Minhyuk up a bit inside.

“That's so awful,” Kihyun mumbled as he put the plates away. 

“It just...it wasn't pretty. But I couldn't do it anymore. And I had a job at the time, so I thought it would be fine, but they were friends with my parents, and...well, I didn't have a job anymore.”

Seething. That was what Minhyuk was. A roiling anger ran through his body and made him want to scream. But he wanted to make Changkyun feel better more than he wanted to scream, so he held it in. 

“Changkyun--”

“I didn't want to see them again, you know? Like I had gotten my bearings and found a job and a place to stay, and yeah maybe it's just because you guys took pity on me but--”

“We did not hire you out of pity, Changkyun,” Kihyun said. 

“We hired you because Kihyun liked your answer to the cake question,” Minhyuk added. 

Changkyun grinned a bit and licked his fork before getting up to wash his plate. 

“Well, whatever. I finally was moving on and living a life I was happy about, and they just show up again. I panicked. It felt like they could just get me fired again.”

“Definitely not,” Kihyun scoffed. 

“As if I'd fire the only person Kihyun trusts in his kitchen,” Minhyuk said. 

Changkyun was smiling more now as he put his plate up. He turned to Minhyuk and hugged him, and Minhyuk hugged him back without hesitation. He held Changkyun close and smiled when Kihyun walked up and hugged both of them. 

“You two are so sappy,” Kihyun said. 

Changkyun laughed a bit, but he just wrapped an arm around Kihyun and squeezed both of them. 

Minhyuk glanced over at Kihyun, and Kihyun smiled back before leaning close and kissing his cheek, and Minhyuk had to try his hardest to act like he didn't like it. 

“We’re closing the shop early. Pack up whatever we got and take it upstairs,” Minhyuk said. 

Changkyun whirled around from where he was standing next to the oven, and Kihyun looked up from where he was piping chocolate onto a plate. 

“Excuse me?” Kihyun asked. 

“I know you guys get like hyper-focused, but there's a storm coming.”

They blinked at him. Minhyuk groaned.

“A big storm. No one was coming today anyway, so we should close it down for the day.”

Kihyun sighed before he stared sadly at the chocolate he was piping. 

“I tempered this for nothing,” he groaned. 

“I know, I know, I’m sorry,” Minhyuk said. Changkyun sighed as he started boxing up the cakes and pastries they had on the cooling rack, ready to be put out. Minhyuk glanced at the ovens and thanked God that there was nothing baking at the time. Kihyun started the dishwasher and wiped down the counters before he got to work helping Changkyun. 

“Do you think the lights will go out?” Kihyun asked. 

“Maybe,” Minhyuk said. 

Kihyun groaned again. “Alright, hopefully the things in the fridge and freezer survive.”

“I'm sure they will,” Changkyun said cheerfully. He put the boxes into a bag and headed out and up into the apartment. Minhyuk got to work helping Kihyun clean up quickly before herding him upstairs soon after. 

Minhyuk and Kihyun had a tradition for storms. They would sit around the living room, drink, eat cake, and wait it out as they talked. It developed from days they would hide under blankets whenever something scary happened when they were small children, and from their parents distracting them from storms with soda and candy and games with flashlights. As adults it turned into wine and pastries. 

Minhyuk lit a few candles on their coffee table and filled up three glasses of wine before taking a cookie and leaning back against the couch.

“This is nice,” Changkyun said as he picked up a croissant to nibble on. 

“I'm still sad about that chocolate,” Kihyun said. 

“You’re acting like you won't just use it for something else later,” Minhyuk said. 

“I know, but still,” Kihyun said. He sighed before he picked up his glass and sipped at it. 

Thunder struck, and it must have cracked open the sky above them because suddenly all Minhyuk could hear was the rain pattering away on their roof. 

“Shit,” Changkyun said as he stared up at the ceiling. 

“Shit,” Kihyun echoed. He downed the rest of his wine in one go as thunder struck again. Minhyuk sighed and grabbed the blanket off the couch before tossing it over to Kihyun. He always liked to burrow when he got uncomfortable. 

“Do you not like thunder?” Changkyun asked. 

Kihyun licked his lips before he poured himself more wine. “I'm not partial to it honestly. I like things calm.”

Minhyuk grinned. “Also he has a personal vendetta against thunder.”

“Oh?” Changkyun asked. 

Kihyun glared at Minhyuk. “Traitor.”

“It’s Changkyun,” Minhyuk retorted. 

“Yeah, it's me. What’s your thunder thing?”

Kihyun sighed. “I failed one of my evaluations on presentation in Paris because thunder made me jump, and I got raspberry sauce all over my cake instead of around the plate.”

Changkyun laughed a bit. “That's sad.”

Kihyun frowned. “It was.”

“He griped about it for a full week,” Minhyuk said. 

“Hush,” Kihyun said. He finally picked up a slice of plain pound cake before biting into it. 

“How did you guys meet anyway? You've never told me,” Changkyun asked. 

Minhyuk and Kihyun looked at each other before looking back at Changkyun. 

“Our parents were friends, and we were neighbors our whole lives,” Kihyun said. 

“Literally Kihyun’s whole life.”

“Please, you're barely a month older than me.”

“That's cute. So best friends forever, huh?” Changkyun said. 

“Unfortunately,” Minhyuk joked. Kihyun laughed and flicked at Minhyuk’s shoulder. 

“You must have a lot of stories,” Changkyun said. 

Thunder cracked loud over their apartment again, shaking the walls, and making them all startle. The lights flickered, and Minhyuk cursed as he watched the lights go back out again.

At least there were candles. There was no light coming in from the windows because of the looming clouds outside, and it was far too dark for the late afternoon. 

“Ah, fuck, the fuse is downstairs,” Changkyun groans. 

“It'll come back eventually,” Kihyun said. 

Minhyuk sighed. “Let's play a drinking game or something.”

Changkyun smiled and nodded. “Alright, I’m down.”

“Count me in,” Kihyun said. 

They all huddled closer around the table and started going through all the games they could remember and play. They make it through a few rounds of 3-6-9 and the fool’s game before Minhyuk is much drunker than he intended to be. 

“I think…that's enough games for now,” Kihyun said. Minhyuk blinked over at him, and his face was flushed from the alcohol, and it made him laugh. 

Minhyuk had a harder time hiding things when he was drunk. As he glanced around the room at both Kihyun and Changkyun and felt his heart do weird little things in his chest, he realized that this was probably a mistake. 

Changkyun giggled a bit, biting his tongue as he leaned his head on the table. 

“Tell me more about you guys. I feel like I don't know enough,” Changkyun said. 

Kihyun scoffed. “There's not much to say that you don't know. We’re best friends. We run this bakery together. I went to Paris for five years to become a  _ chef pâtissier _ , and when I came back, Minhyuk had the Spotlight waiting for me.”

“I love it when you speak French,” Changkyun said. 

Kihyun somehow flushed more as he looked down and cleared his throat. “Well, I had to learn. I mean, I obviously had lessons here before I went, but they don't really have Korean translators there in class.”

“Was it hard?” Changkyun asked. 

“Why? You thinking of going?” Minhyuk asked, raising a brow. He had seen how Changkyun watched Kihyun as he worked. How hard he worked to be as good as him. It wouldn't be that far-fetched for Changkyun to run off to Paris to follow in his footsteps. 

Even if that would probably chip around the edges of Minhyuk's heart like Kihyun leaving did all those years ago. 

“I don't know. Maybe? Not any time soon, though,” Changkyun said. 

“You don't have to go as long as I did. There're really good year-long programs,” Kihyun said. 

“I don't think I'd want to be gone for five years,” Changkyun said softly. 

“We’d still talk to you, though. I talked to Kihyun almost every day when he was there,” Minhyuk said. 

He didn't know why he said that. Why he had assumed Changkyun wouldn't want to leave because he'd miss them. He licked his lips and drank some wine, hoping the words would get swallowed down too. 

Changkyun grinned. “That's cute.”

“Is it?” Kihyun asked with a little laugh. 

“You know, I thought you two were together when I first got the job. I was really shocked when I moved in, and you had separate bedrooms,” Changkyun said. 

Kihyun started laughing, but Minhyuk just put on a grin. 

“Were you guys always so close?” Changkyun asked. 

The lights were still off, and the candles flickered, and Minhyuk stared at them. His life didn't flash before his eyes, but he saw snippets of it. Of a tiny little Kihyun with a scraped knee and teary eyes, and Minhyuk kissing the top of his head because he thought it would make him better. Of Kihyun and him laying on a mat next to each other in Kihyun's room when they were a bit older, talking about some cartoon they both liked. Of a ten year old Kihyun and him going into a nice bakery for the first time, and seeing something click inside Kihyun that would never unclick. Of hugging Kihyun close before he picked up his luggage and walked toward the security gate at the airport. 

“Yeah. Our whole lives,” Minhyuk said softly. 

“You must have missed each other a lot when Kihyun was in Paris then,” Changkyun said. 

Something cracked inside Minhyuk's chest. 

Minhyuk had never, not once, told Kihyun he had missed him. They talked every day and were always close, and no matter how much Minhyuk missed him, he could never bring himself to say it. Kihyun had been following his dreams, and Minhyuk didn't want to give him any reason to feel bad for that. And maybe it was a bit egotistic to think that Minhyuk missing him would be enough to make Kihyun want to give it up, but Minhyuk didn't want to risk it. 

Besides, Kihyun had never said it either. He'd talk about missing food and good ramen and fried chicken and kimchi and his parents and being able to just speak Korean to anyone. But never him. Never Minhyuk. Never his best friend. 

So Minhyuk sat there, a bit too drunk for his own good, trying to think of a way to make a joke about not missing the love of his life when it had felt like a part of himself had gone missing. 

“I missed him so much,” Kihyun said softly. 

Minhyuk blinked and looked over at Kihyun. Kihyun was staring at him, a tiny little smile on his face. 

“What?” Minhyuk said, and he wished he didn't sound so silly. 

Kihyun sniffed and hugged his knee to his chest. “I missed you all the fucking time, Minhyuk. I never said it because I wanted to be cool or whatever, and you never said it, but yeah. I missed you all the time.”

Minhyuk blinked. “I missed you too, Ki. You have no idea.”

Kihyun laughed a bit and shook his head. “We’re so dumb. Why did we never say it?”

Changkyun laughed a bit, awkwardly, and when they looked at him he just hid behind his wine glass. 

Minhyuk knew it was probably the alcohol, but he needed to say it. If he didn't now, he never would. 

“Because I was in love with you, and I didn't want to make it obvious,” Minhyuk said. 

Changkyun choked on his wine, and Kihyun stared at Minhyuk wide-eyed, and so flushed he looked like a tomato, and Minhyuk just smiled. 

“You...what?” Kihyun said. 

“I mean. I don't know. I love you, Kihyun. For a long time now.”

Kihyun sighed and laughed a bit, rubbing at his forehead. 

“God, you're so dumb, Minhyuk. Why the fuck did you never say anything?” Kihyun said. 

Minhyuk licked his lips. “What?”

“I love you, too, you idiot,” Kihyun said. 

Minhyuk blinked. Once. Twice. Then his heart was so high in his throat he could barely breathe. 

“Shut up,” Minhyuk whispered. 

“I can't believe you. All those years I thought--”

“ _ I bought you a bakery _ ,” Minhyun cried out. 

“Well! I thought. We were best friends,” Kihyun said. 

“What kind of best friends buy each other businesses?!”

“You should have confessed then!” Kihyun said back. 

Changkyun sniffled, and Minhyuk looked over at him. He was smiling, but he was rubbing at his eyes. 

“What's wrong?” Minhyuk asked. 

“N-nothing. I'm just happy for you two,” Changkyun said with a little wet laugh. 

“Excuse me?” Kihyun said. 

“Of course you guys are in love with each other. Like anyone could tell,” Changkyun said. 

“But. You and Kihyun were...I swore you two were going to date,” Minhyuk said. 

The air in the room seemed to thin. 

“But Changkyun--” Kihyun started. 

“Don't. Just. Be happy together and stuff,” Changkyun said. 

Minhyuk frowned. “But we--”

“No, it’s okay--”

“We have feelings for you too,” Kihyun spat out. 

Changkyun’s eyes went wide. Minhyuk’s head felt like it might melt. 

“At least, I do. But I thought Minhyuk did,” Kihyun said. 

“Oh my God,” Minhyuk said. 

“Guys,” Changkyun said. 

“We are too drunk for this,” Minhyuk said. 

“But do you? Have feelings for me?” Changkyun asked, and he sounded so hopeful that Minhyuk wanted to cry. 

“Yeah, baby. For a while now,” Minhyuk said. 

Changkyun sighed and rubbed at his eyes. 

“You’re right, boss. We are way too drunk for this.”

“But I love both of you. You both mean the world to me,” Minhyuk said, and he suddenly felt so much lighter. 

“Fuck,” Kihyun whispered before he moved closer and gave Minhyuk a big kiss on the cheek. This time, Minhyuk didn't wipe it away. Changkyun bit his lip and crawled over and kissed Minhyuk's other cheek before laughing a bit. 

“This is ridiculous,” Changkyun said. 

“Hush, just--”

Minhyuk put his arms around them and pulled them close to his side and sighed. 

“We’ll talk about it when we’re sober,” Kihyun said as he laid his head against Minhyuk's shoulder. 

“Yeah, just let me be cuddled,” Changkyun said. 

Kihyun laughed, and Minhyuk squeezed him closer. 

“But I love you too. My two idiot bosses,” Changkyun said softly. 

Kihyun snorted and ruffled Changkyun's hair. “You’re ridiculous.”

Changkyun laughed and waved Kihyun away. “You didn't say it back.”

“I love you. There? That better?” Kihyun said. 

Changkyun and Minhyuk both beamed, but Changkyun was the one that spoke.

“Yeah. Yeah it is.”

Minhyuk grinned, and he could barely hear the thunder and the rain anymore. He shut his eyes and the world spun, but he had done it. He had told them. 

And maybe it would finally work out. 

“You two really are idiots though,” Changkyun said. 

“Ugh, we know. We know,” Kihyun said as he frowned at his coffee mug. 

“But we all agree, right? We’ll give this a shot? The three of us?” Minhyuk asked. 

“Yeah, boss,” Changkyun said with a smile. 

“If you're going to date me, I'd rather you didn't call me boss,” Minhyuk said with a frown. 

Changkyun laughed a bit. “Okay, valid.”

“We may have been idiots, but it had to happen this way. This way we got you too,” Kihyun said. 

Changkyun smiled. “Yeah, I'm the reason you two even confessed.”

“You sure are,” Minhyuk said. He leaned over and kissed Changkyun, trying it out, still new to the whole actually showing his affection thing. Changkyun smiled wider and laughed a bit, looking away. 

“Hey, wait,” Kihyun said. Minhyuk looked over at him, and then Kihyun kissed him. Quick and easy against the lips. 

And Minhyuk didn't stop smiling for the rest of the day, sneaking kisses and hugs from both of them and watching them kiss and hug each other. 

Minhyuk never imagined he would ever actually be with Kihyun. He never imagined that he'd be dating him one day. He certainly didn't think he'd be dating him  _ and  _ Changkyun, but he's happy it turned out this way. 

Especially because they both looked just as happy as he felt. 

And at the end of the day, isn't that what he always wanted? To see the men he was in love with be happy? 

  
  
  


**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading! Any comments or kudos are, as always, very much appreciated.


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